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The physiology of predator stress in free-ranging prey
Article first published online: 13 OCT 2009
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01602.x
© 2009 The Author. Journal compilation © 2009 British Ecological Society
Additional Information
How to Cite
Preisser, E. L. (2009), The physiology of predator stress in free-ranging prey. Journal of Animal Ecology, 78: 1103–1105. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01602.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 13 OCT 2009
- Article first published online: 13 OCT 2009
- Received 14 May 2009; accepted 6 July 2009 Handling Editor: Corey Bradshaw
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
M.J. Sheriff, C.J. Krebs & R. Boonstra (2009) The sensitive hare: sublethal effects of predator stress on reproduction in snowshoe hares. Journal of Animal Ecology, 78, 1249–1258.
Ecologists have only begun to understand the physiological mechanisms underlying individual- and population-level responses of prey- to predator-related stress. Sheriff, Krebs and Boonstra advance this field by providing evidence that predator-induced increases in glucorticoid concentrations in wild female snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) impact both litter size and offspring condition. They hypothesize that the glucocorticoid-mediated effects on reproduction provides an adaptive benefit: mothers ‘programming’ their offspring to be timid and risk-averse in high-risk environments should increase their survival probability. This research illuminates the connection between stress physiology and population-level changes and demonstrates the surprisingly far-reaching impact of predation risk.